KPCC had a long interview with Jose Huizar about this project called Bringing Back Broadway. The centerpiece is a streetcar, but, the real goal is to drive “economic development” and “revitalize” Broadway.
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I have been helping put this together the last few weeks and on behalf of Dream Team Los Angeles, I want to invite everyone reading this post to come to city hall on Tuesday and be witness to an amazing event.   From the press release.
Students Participate in West Coast DREAM Act Rally Day
Urge President Obama and Congress to Pass DREAM Act this year, 2009!
WHAT: DREAM Graduation Ceremony held in Los Angeles, CA in solidarity with the United We Dream Coalition’s National Day of Action in Washington D.C., in support of the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act.
The DREAM Act is a bi-partisan legislation that if passed, would provide undocumented college students a path to legalize their status after meeting strict requirements. These requirements include that the student must have entered the country before the age of 16, graduate high school or obtain a GED,  have good moral character (no criminal record), and have at least five years of continuous presence in the US. The students will then have six years within which they must obtain a two-year college degree or voluntarily complete two-years of military service, in order to have the chance to adjust their conditional permanent residency to U.S. citizenship.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 23, 2009
12:00 p.m. – 1:00p.m. – DREAM Graduation and Press Event
WHERE: Los Angeles City Hall Lawn
200 N. Main St. Los Angeles CA
WHO: UCLA student speakers will discuss the importance of the DREAM Act.
Undocumented students will provide testimonials of their journey as undocumented.
Wendy Carrillo, will be the Masters of Ceremonies
Kent Wong Director of the UCLA Labor Center will be the Key note speaker
Opportunity for interviews with members of the community, speakers, students and
allies.
WHY: Highlighting the achievements of our nation’s undocumented youth and the vast support for passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.
I drove by to quickly check out the scene but as of around 8:40 pm, the streets of Lincoln Heights were pretty calm, at least compared to the crazy partying that happened when the Lakers won that other time. But there were still a few people walking around, just wanting to celebrate a win of their favorite sports team. It seems people are gathering in East Los and some fools are trying to burn living trees over by the Staples center, but for now LH is just a few cars cruising, honking, celebrating.
Click ahead for a few more pics.
I am kind of sick of all this gentrification speculation about the Eastside being white-washed. It will take a lot more Clorox and wood-fire baked pizza to change East Los than yuppies have yet to offer in the American Southwest, so I don’t sit at home biting my nails that Nana will be evicted (well actually, she won’t, the house was paid for by Tata’s VA loan for pre-storming Normandy in WWII). Even so, chuppies (chicano yuppies, a.k.a. chicanos with degrees) have already gentrified these areas, but they are ingrained in the cultura and still buy elotes, so it isn’t as much a hard fit (in fact, I would say the same about Whites who are genuinely down with these areas). Not that the genuine concerns of locals doesn’t matter or isn’t valid, but I think we need to focus on the tangible changes gentrification has already brought to the Latinoscapes of Los Angeles, specifically the Eastside’s center of gravity: Downtown.
I am actually ALL for the demographic diversification of Los Angeles; even my beloved Eastlos with all its sheltered ethnic enclave delights. The truth is the quality of life in East Los has degraded since its multicultural times of yore, and although ignorant pundits of conservative mantras have tried to pin it on Mexicans since the decline coincided with the rise in Latino immigration; it is much more obvious that the downward slide had much more to do with the middle class drain on the community that began with White Flight and continued with the ban on segregated housing covenants in 1955 (thats when my grandparents moved to the newer Maravilla housing tract on the Monterey Park/East Los border, as did many East Los middle class residents). Along with the decline in more economically stable residents, came the decline and eventual outright withdrawal of Corporate America, and the amenities that come with them, from this area. This decline in economic revenue as well as citizens with the resources to devote their extra time and energy to improving the community had a devastating toll on the community.
~ Jose Guadalupe Posada ~
I just got this info literally handed to me five minutes ago. P3000 asked what it took for people to get angry, well students from ELAC and other community colleges are coming together to fight the class cancellations, Cal Grants and EOPS cut backs, health care for the lower income, health insurance and everything else that is going to make life unbearable for a lot of people. Here’s the message I got handed, “Due to the economic crisis all of Los Angeles Community Colleges are cancelling summer school and winter session! Come and support our students !!! Monday June 1, 2009 at 2:30 in Downtown Los Angeles. We will be protesting for our education. We need those classes to transfer to a four year university.” If you’re wondering if I’ll be there supporting my fellow students in fighting these injustices, no I will not. I’ll be at ELAC studying for my finals and taking care of business. We all do what we can with what resources we have at our disposal. There also getting students and supporters to sign a petition. This protest has nothing to do with the one going on at City Hall. FYI.
Cool car sticker spotted in Downtown. The car was heading east.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriaemk/3521018957/in/pool-laeastside/
It’s time for the yearly celebration of indigenous culture, honoring mothers and recognizing no borders. Food, music, vendors, crafts, music and dance draw in thousands of participants every year. It’s the first time this pow wow will be happening outside of East Los Angeles so head downtown and show them some love!
May 8-10, 2009
Los Angeles State Historic Park
1245 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(click on flyer to enlarge)
For more info, please visit their website.
Just added: East LA’s Chicano/Indigena Roots Reggae group Quinto Sol will do an acoustic set Friday Night at the Pow Wow.
This years fiesta sucked ass !!! It will never be as I remember it when I was a kid, walking around with my parents and sisters getting in lines to get free samples of things we don’t need and taking pictures with celeb look-a-likes. What happened to you Fiesta Broadway ? How did you lose your heart ? Did you even have one to begin with ? I know that the corporate advertising is part of you, but companies use to give out WAY better things. Now, your lucky if you even get a stupid pamphlet telling you to buy some crap you don’t need. Sigh… this years fiesta really was no different than last years and Chavo posted a good photo essay, which was ok I guess. I think mine is better, but I’ll let you’se guys decide. Sigamen los valientes !!!!!!!
I was driving by the park on Spring when I saw this long line, might as well check it out. It turns out all these poor souls are waiting for a chance to get some cheese and bread. La Crisis deepens.
Sixth St Bridge – photo courtesy of LAPL.org
According to the Los Angeles Times, the unveiling of the new design for the Sixth St bridge was met with disappointment by Boyle Heights residents and the 6th Street Viaduct community advisory committee. Many feel the bridge is too modern and spare looking and lacks historical continuity.
“I said as far as I am concerned, if you are going to put this bridge with cables there, you might as well not put a bridge there at all. I would rather not see one there,” said Victoria Torres, a board member of the Boyle Heights Historical Society. “It’s very disappointing when the city is trying to push something on you that you didn’t agree with.”
The bridge is in a state of irreversible decay and is plagued by some kind of “concrete cancer” that can lead to a collapse in a heavy earthquake.
Browne of The Bus Bench (and LA Eastside contributor) took to the streets to interject some political theatre into the auction of some pricey downtown lofts. With a sign that reads “Will Work For Loft” and “Brother, Can Ya $pare A Loft?” handouts with information on the homeless, it’s the kind of necessary action I wish would be much more common nowadays. Channel 7 news covered the auction because they thought the use of the internet for auctions was interesting. Really.
Oh no, Downtown is on a hungry rampage and moving east! It first started with The Brewery and then The San Antonio Winery and now has consumed every hipsters’ favorite place to shop, The Saint Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Lincoln Heights!
An article in today’s Los Angeles Times features the downtown loft of a “recycled living” bohemian realtor and his fashion designer girlfriend. This couple is really cool cause they are into old stuff that was previously used! Wow! Read what I mean:
In the spirit of adaptive reuse, nearly all the furnishings inside the loft hail from flea markets or thrift shops or are alley finds.
Uh, huh. And where might one of these chic thrift stores be?
Heller stops by downtown’s St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop at least twice a week.
Downtown? How did that happen? According to the Saint Vincent de Paul website, the store is located:
Just north of downtown Los Angeles … in Lincoln Heights, is one of the largest, well-stocked thrift stores in all of Southern California The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store which according to Los Angeles Magazine is the “Best Thrift Store in Los Angeles.â€
So it’s happened again…Downtown, in it’s appetite to swallow anything that might be “cool” has now gobbled up an even bigger chunk of Lincoln Heights. What will follow?